The article heralded Dillon-net, (no longer online) as a model Community Technology Center. The
Dillon-net Community Technology Center closed its doors in 2001, after having
been an awards finalist for the International Rural Innovation Bangemann Challenge 2000
competition held by the King of Sweden. Dillon-net was also an awards finalist two years
in a row for the America Online Rural Innovations Competition. Perhaps Dillon is ready to
take the next step in demonstrating how the collective will of a community can create a
model community center for realizing the potential of the Internet?

From 1988-1998, the Big Sky Telegraph Network was a national model, based at Dillon's
University of Montana, Western campus. The Big Sky Telegraph Network was created to
engage teachers in determining how the online medium could help them share curriculum
resources and generally determine how good people can learn to support one another,
online. During this same ten year period, the community networking movement rose, and
fell, while technologies changed and experimental community-building applications of the
online medium were conducted nationally.

When the Big Sky Telegraph project was created, few people accepted getting online was
something important to learn. The Dillon-net project created a local community gathering
place where young and old could have access to their first hands-on Internet experiences,
and could learn from each other about the benefits. Both projects have prepared Dillon for
what might be considered the next chapter for how a community can learn about the
self-empowerment potential of online learning and collaboration.

Resources in Support of Our Writing the Next Chapter in Dillon's
Self-empowerment Story

Grantwriting Tutorials and Funding Sources for Rural Communitieshttp://lone-eagles.com/granthelp.htm
Multiple existing community grants are listed, such as the Community Bootstrap Initiative,
and are intended for reuse without restriction.

The New Goldrush; Mining Raw Human Potential Using Free Web Toolshttp://lone-eagles.com/mining.htm
Communities and nations will soon compete on their ability to develop latent human
potential.